J s bach music

The 19th Wye Valley Chamber Music Festival will feature the Hungarian pianist, Domonkos Csabay, New Zealand cellist, Victoria Simonsen and American violist, Hannah Shaw who will be sharing the stage with festival regulars, Malin Broman, Marie Bitlloch, Simon Crawford-Phillips and Ben Hancox. "This year's musical menu, taken beside log fires at Treowen Manor as well as at our venues in St Briavels, Monmouth and Hereford, will feature the music of Beethoven and Mendelssohn, both under the influence of the masterpieces of J S Bach," says artistic director Daniel Tong. "Our final concert presents three famous masterpieces as you might not have heard them before! I can't wait for the annual inspiration, always unknown and ever fresh, of ten days in the beautiful Wye Valley, alive with music.” In keeping with tradition, the festival’s opening concert on Saturday, January 13 takes place in the church at St. Briavels, where the first Wye Valley Chamber Music Festival was held … [Read more...] about New Year welcomes 19th Wye Valley Chamber Music Festival

Nigel Kennedy and Jimi Hendrix have a special connection, even though the legendary rock star died in 1970. Crossover violinist Kennedy has been reinterpreting his works for the past quarter-century, taking his Hendrix set on tour for the first time in 1993. On Saturday, May 16, he's bringing his new Hendrix project to the Jazzfest in the western German city of Bonn. Kennedy - who is just as famous for playing Bach and Co. - gives the rock classics a completely new twist, performing them with the technical brilliance he's known for. Nigel Kennedy, who identified himself only as "Kennedy" for a time, was born into a musical family in Brighton, southern England, on December 28, 1956. His mother was a piano teacher and his father played the cello in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London; his maternal grandfather was first-chair cellist at the BBC Symphony Orchestra. The talented rebel At the age of six, the young Nigel received his first violin lesson. His extraordinary talent … [Read more...] about Punk violinist Nigel Kennedy brings Jimi Hendrix project to Germany

I think Germany is a nice place, where people work hard to make things better. However, there is much to do all time, so maybe it would be better if you give me a plane ticket and two weeks reservation in a three star hotel so I can tell you more. -- Ayman Yunes, Yemen Hi, I am from Pakistan. I have been a mathematics student, and I play viola. For me Germany is a place where my two worlds come together. After years of reading biographies and translations of the works of German academics, I feel the world lost something in 1933 which it may not have ever again. In my university in the U.S. we had 10 professors from Germany, and they had a class of their own. I sometimes read on DW-WORLD that Germany is going to move its academic system closer to that of the U.S. That is a horrifying thought. The American education system is geared towards mediocrity. Although I know a lot about German men from academia and music, I know very little about German women. The Goethe center in Karachi is … [Read more...] about How do you View Germany?

Can there be a "true art" of making music? In his widely recognized treatise "On the true art of playing the keyboard," Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach sought to establish technical and aesthetic standards, to bring order to the chaos of a rapidly changing music world. Similar handbooks were authored in the decades following the death of Johann Sebastian Bach, including a standard-setting violin school by Leopold Mozart, father of the great Wolfgang Amadeus. Using the title of that instructional treatise by Bach's second-oldest son, born three hundred years ago, the current Bachfest Leipzig has the motto "The True Art." At the opening in St. Thomas‘ Church, many listeners may have thought they were experiencing this "true art" of music when organist Ullrich Böhme started off with a fugue J.S. Bach on "The Magnificat." That was followed by two further settings of the Biblical text, performed by the St. Thomas Choir, soloists and the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra: one by J.S., the … [Read more...] about Bach and Bach at the Bachfest

Walking through Leipzig's city center on a cold May afternoon, I could hear young people of all nationalities chanting an impeccable version of "Carmina Burana" in front of the conservatory's main building. The artistic flash mob was the last of a series of free concerts and theatrical demonstrations that students organized all over the city in response to the news that a new tuition for non-European students was to be introduced at Leipzig's prestigious music school. The Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Conservatory of Music and Theater is one of the first universities in Germany to introduce tuition fees for students coming from outside the European Union. Previously, university education was free for everyone - regardless of where students came from - in most of Germany's 16 states, including Saxony, where Leipzig is located. But recently, a new regional law was passed allowing higher education institutions to impose tuition fees on non-EU students. Starting in September, non-EU students … [Read more...] about Leipzig music students sing against new tuition

May - September, 2008: Rhine in Flames Rhine in Flames is a festive fireworks show that takes place throughout the summer in various cities along the Rhine River, beginning in Bonn on May 3 and concluding in St. Goar on Sept. 20. www.rhein-in-flammen.de June - July 2008: Munich Opera Festival The curtain has just come down on the 60 events featured in the 2007 program. As for 2008, details haven't been announced yet but it is sure to be just as spectacular. Mail order ticket sales generally open in February. www.muenchner-opern-festspiele.de June - August, 2008: Heidelberg Castle Festival Go back in time to the age of knights and dragons at the Heidelberg Castle Festival. www.schlossfestspiele-heidelberg.de July 11 - 19, 2008: Stuttgart Jazz Festival The Stuttgart Jazz Festival attracts top performers and jazz lovers from across Europe and beyond. … [Read more...] about Festivals and Events

Click on the link below to listen to an interview with Nigel Kennedy. With his "Orchestra of Life" tour through Germany, violinist Nigel Kennedy combines a classical chamber orchestra with a jazz band. The J.S. Bach pieces that are performed include instruments like the marimbaphone and percussion, but they are so subtle that it is hard to make them out. The classical Bach music alternates with modern pieces by jazz legend Duke Ellington, where both the orchestra and the jazz band unite to form the unique sound of Kennedy's interpretations. "My orchestra should learn to swing, and Master Ellington is just right for that," said Kennedy. The violinist would like to play Ellington one day with a real big band, but, after all, there are not many big bands that can also play pieces by classical composers like Bach, Vivaldi or Telemann: "It's easier to let the string players swing than it is to teach a big band all the classical stuff," said Kennedy. Nevertheless, … [Read more...] about Violinist Nigel Kennedy wows German audiences

Schwetzinger SWR Festspiele (April 29 - June 14) Dresden Musiktage (May 18 - June 5) The baroque city will transform into an international meeting point for the young classical stars from Asia and the West to perform under the motto "The Five Elements." "An integrated lineup gives the audience a view of modern music rather than simply invoking the past," said festival director and cellist Jan Vogler. Vogler will appear with the Singapore Symphony Orchester as well as the pop singer Rain. Also on the roster are guests including the New York and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras and soloists like cellist Heinrich Schiff and violinist Christian Tetzlaff. The Göttingen Handel Festival (May 22 - June 18) "Vive le Baroque!" With the departure of long-time artistic director Nicholas McGegan, who served the festival for 20 years, a gala in his honor features nine renowned soloists. For a total of twelve days French influences on the works of Handel will be explored. The program … [Read more...] about A preview of Germany’s major classical music festivals in 2011

Many local artists will tell you that Berlin's avant-garde scene surpasses that of other cultural capitals, and it's not only because of the low cost of living. Berlin may not meet the standards of Parisian chic or move at New York's adrenaline pace, but perhaps no other city offers such fertile ground for experimental modes of performance and recreation. It wasn't until I moved here that I had ever heard of "chess boxing" (a competition involving both distantly related activities) or attended opera that resembled cabaret on crack. While genre-bending is gathering speed all over the world, the trend is highly advanced in the German capital - for better or for worse. In a city that turns its back on tradition, everything from board games to classical music has the opportunity to fearlessly reinvent itself. Nowhere exemplifies this spirit better than the Radialsystem, founded in 2006 as a center for dialogue among the arts. From musical wine-tasting to the unusual theatrical settings … [Read more...] about When Bach meets yoga, Berlin’s genre-bending goes overboard

Leipzig has been in the world spotlight lately due to its bid to host the Olympic Games. But the city also hopes the upbeat saying will give it a boost toward achieving its past glory as an illustrious center of trade, publishing and science. Much still needs to be done -- Leipzig has more construction projects underway than anywhere else in Germany except Berlin. But the Saxon city nonetheless holds its own as a major cultural and intellectual center, and an attractive one, at that. Looks matter If first impressions are important, then those arriving by rail will no doubt be impressed by Leipzig. The central station is one of the most beautiful and modern railway terminals in Europe. From the station, it's just a few strides to the historic town center, most of it faithfully restored after large-scale destruction in World War II. J.S. Bach was cantor in Leipzig's Thomaskirche for many years Highlights of a stroll in this picturesque district are the old City Hall and … [Read more...] about Leipzig: From Books to Bach